Humm, Personally I don't think it's a good idea.
Making laws and rights arround space ok.

But not a space agancy, I want to have the private sector to do it.
Else many countries may join all toghetter and if that single UN space agancy would get even more sick as NASA... the whole world would get to almost a halt in space development.

More teams, create more competetion, more competition brings more progress... more progress, that's what we need

I see bush his space speech as getting on the moon before China does... so it's kinda a space race

EDIT:
I just saw that Voyager4D replied while I was writing, I guess a UN space agancy would work to handle a base on the moon, mars... but at such places beaurocracy comes very quick, while private companies NEED to change.. or go down to make place for NEW companies to continue the challanges...
Those changes, bring new ideas, new money, new concepts... and if it fails.. only a few fail, not the whole humenkind

As for the new sort of space race, I'm hoping someone like one of the X-Prize teams gets to the Moon before anyone else.

Well.. I hope the same thing.. but I know... if china keeps on the current track of development... they will be first.I guess china will be on the moon before the US will return to the moon. NASA is strugling too much to change so fast...

IF nasa is very slow.. even ESA will be on the moon with a manned mission before the US.. India and also Japan are planning such missions in the future.. so NASA (the US) has to do it now.. or lose it's first position in space exploration.

THe xprize teams, still have to get into "real space".. GEO distance and higher.. that's a lot more difficult and expensive... so it will take an other 5 to 8 years to get a team into real space

TJ wrote:

I definitely think a UN space agency is a bad idea, the whole oil for food business is a good example of how trust worthy the UN can be.

The UN has a "very" important position as organization.
I don't think they should lead any "development program", but I do believe they should be active in peace keeping, stopping nations who're violating international law etc etc...
I hope in the future.. the UN will get a more strong position, where they EVEN can stop the US from attacking a country without the UN agreement.
UN still stands for "general world population agreement" and is not an organization led by a few people, but by all countries in it.

I think a government agency is counter-productive to the devlopment of space technology. The government dominates the resources (such as materials, labor, scientists, etc.,) for going into space and because government has no concept of profit, those resources are going to be wasted. Instead of being freed up to develop along the lines that private investors would want and to be forced to do it in low-cost ways, they are stuck following government directives and have all the money they want for it, because the government can just coerce it from the taxpayers.

I think a government agency is counter-productive to the devlopment of space technology. The government dominates the resources (such as materials, labor, scientists, etc.,) for going into space and because government has no concept of profit, those resources are going to be wasted. Instead of being freed up to develop along the lines that private investors would want and to be forced to do it in low-cost ways, they are stuck following government directives and have all the money they want for it, because the government can just coerce it from the taxpayers.

The government did a great job with making the public "known" that it's possible.. to show the possibilities...
It made some progress in medical fields thanks to NASA.. we wouldn't have had today without them.
BUT.. NASA (they finaly got some small prize to help it) should more help the private business.. the current prize... isn't anough.. they should have way more...

I think NASA and the other Goverment Agencies needs to move out of the low earth orbit items, and eventually out of the space station and focus on the more scientific persuits of exploration and science. Servicing satalites, and even space telescopes needs to be done by a private space enterprise that has won a bid to do so, and also taxing parts or people to earth orbit needs to be moved to the private sector. NASA and the others needs to focus on Planetary and solar exploration as soon as private enterprise get to the point of orbital launches, and beyond. there is room for both, private and goverment, but the goverment end needs to focus more on the outlying areas and as advances in the private sector come, needs to move further and further out in its sphere of work, leaving the inner duties to private industry

_________________the sooner private entrerprise invests in space technologies the sooner man will conquor space to the advancement of all mankind

I think a government agency is counter-productive to the devlopment of space technology. The government dominates the resources (such as materials, labor, scientists, etc.,) for going into space and because government has no concept of profit, those resources are going to be wasted. Instead of being freed up to develop along the lines that private investors would want and to be forced to do it in low-cost ways, they are stuck following government directives and have all the money they want for it, because the government can just coerce it from the taxpayers.

The government did a great job with making the public "known" that it's possible.. to show the possibilities...It made some progress in medical fields thanks to NASA.. we wouldn't have had today without them.BUT.. NASA (they finaly got some small prize to help it) should more help the private business.. the current prize... isn't anough.. they should have way more...

Edward L. Hudgins is editor of Space: The Free-Market Frontier and author of the Cato Institute article noted by beneficii.
http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=P ... id=1441129This is an excellent book regarding the role of government in the space business. Other contributors are Buzz Aldrin, Dennis Tito, Rep. Bob Walker, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

Read, Enjoy!

_________________"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
P.J. O'Rourke

Maybe the U.N. should construct and operate their own space facility. That way scientist from around the world could contribute ideas for space travel and operate as one unified Earth Space Force.

to my knowledge there's no need for this as any scientist is already free to contribute as well as apply for experiments and even in some cases actual "flight time" as astronauts through esa, nasa or similar.

in other words: if they have a very interesting experiment (peer review) they'll get the opportunity.

The United Nations would---by all indications so far---be just as red-tape-bound, spendthrift, inefficient, and downright technically static as NASA and other national space agencies. Let's keep in mind the spirit of the X Prize---privatization of space.